EnteroMedics' MaestroSystem Blocks Nervous System Appetite Signals

The EnteroMedics' Maestro System is officially the first obesity-fighting device to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The device is likened by EnteroMedics as being similar to a pacemaker, and is designed to block nervous system signals that make you hungry.

The system uses something called VBLOC vagal blocking therapy, which interferes with signals along the vagus nerve, which regulates the digestive system. The result is that patients' feelings of hunger are reduced, and they feel satiated. The system is connected to a battery which the patient must regularly recharge.

For now, EnteroMedics' Maestro System is only going to be deployed at specially chosen clinics by certified surgeons. If it shows further promise, this device could change the lives of people who struggle to lose weight.